Baldwin High School students, teachers get 'popped' into cold to support Special Olympics Pennsylvania

The look of this year’s Polar Plunge at Baldwin High School was different but at least one element of the event remained: it was cold.

The longstanding tradition of plunging into freezing water — whether a river or a pool — wasn’t feasible this year because of covid-19. Instead, Special Olympics Pennsylvania encouraged participants to pop a balloon over someone’s head.

Temperatures hovered at a brisk 34 degrees but the wind chill factor made it feel even colder. The high school’s event was held just outside the stadium, close to the men’s and women’s locker rooms so those just “popped” could run in to get warm. Once dry, they could return outside to have some snacks and hot chocolate.

“That was so bad,” said one junior girl moments after getting balloons popped overhead.

“Yeah, I couldn’t breathe right after,” another said.

To be clear, the water inside the balloons was just tepid enough to prevent them from freezing. The water balloons sat outside waiting for each participant before the deed was done. It caught one of the students off guard.

“I thought it was going to be warm,” said Dominic Shehand, a freshman. The 15-year-old had never participated in a polar plunge or pop before. He said he wanted to be part of the fun that day.

Freezin’ for a reason out at Baldwin High School today. Around 70 students, and the high school principal, participated in a “polar pop” earlier to bring awareness to the Special Olympics. pic.twitter.com/gtxmJff8Z9

— Dillon Carr (@dillonswriting) March 5, 2021

Ethan Spozarski, a junior, has participated in past polar plunges. He had balloons popped overhead while being shirtless and shoeless.

“I just wanted to continue how we did it last year,” he said. “Any way to get the most freezing is the way to go.”

Tim Laughlin, the high school’s physical education teacher and its co-sponsor for the Special Olympics Club, said although the polar pop was a little different this year, the spirit of supporting students with intellectual and physical disabilities was alive and well.

“This year there were more people who participated. It was much bigger,” he said. Laughlin said some students with special needs aren’t able to participate in polar plunges. But the polar pop idea actually made the event more inclusive.

“So everyone misses tradition or the way things were, but covid actually helped bring a different perspective,” he said.

The high school finished out the fundraising drive for the Special Olympics of Pennsylvania with $7,211, the most of any school across the state.

But Laughlin said more continues to come in. He said the school has brought in closer to $8,000.

Laughlin attributes that to the school’s rich history of special education, which dates to the 1970s, when the school first began participating in polar plunges. During his 20 year-career at the school, he has worked to develop physical education curricula that is more inclusive of students with special needs.

The school also provides a Transitions Program, which helps students with special needs in seventh grade through age 21 learn life skills used out of school, such as financial management, cooking, cleaning and others.

Eric Jankoski, the Transition Coordinator, said the team that includes Laughlin and Joshua Stahl, a Life Skills Support teacher, hopes the program reaches students without disabilities, too.

“One of our biggest goals is to create a more inclusive culture that values acceptance of everyone and excludes no one,” he said in a statement. “The more people we can bring on board to this movement, the better our community can be for everyone.”

Jankoski dressed in an inflatable polar bear for the event. A broken zipper led to a fix with tape, meaning he had to stay in the suit for the entire event.

Toward the end, however, he took it off so he and Laughlin could partake in the pop. It ended up, however, being a means to get rid of all the extra balloons as students and other teachers spent every last balloon on the teachers.

Melissa Langer, a student services teacher, decided to dump a bucket of cold water on them, too.

“They always do a good job, I just wanted to make sure they knew that,” she said, laughing.

Shaun Tomaszewski, the high school principal of two years, also took part – in his suit jacket and tie.

And here’s Baldwin High School Principal Shaun Tomaszewski getting polar popped, while dressed in a suit jacket and tie, by students and staff. pic.twitter.com/54wPkDzni7

— Dillon Carr (@dillonswriting) March 5, 2021

“This school has such a huge history with supporting the Special Olympics,” he said. “So anything that involves showing support, I try to get involved.”